DC versus Marvel Reading Challenge 2016 Progress Thread

[Melanie]

Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"
and
I haven't read either yet, so I can't speak to their quality.

Maybe?
This was a trilogy that I really loved, but I don't know is MPauli would count that as a snow globe.

A title search on my Kindle reveal a lot of Christmas and romance books with snow globes and several How-To books about making ships in a bottle.

[Mpauli, Bitten by a radioactive book]

Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"

To elaborate a little bit on the cover challenge for the brain. It can be a stylized brain. It doesn't have to be an actual depiction.

[Mpauli, Bitten by a radioactive book]

Melanie wrote: "This was a trilogy that I really loved, but I don't know is MPauli would count that as a snow globe."

Yes, that would be totally okay.

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Thanks for the suggestions, Melanie! I've actually read Matched and sadly found it very bland, so I don't think I'll read the next (which has the same style cover I think?). Passenger has had some good reviews though, I might look into that :)

[Kate]

Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"

If you go the "character gets shrunken" route there are lots of sci-fi books where people get shrunken to work with/as nano tech. The one I can think of off hand is The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer.

[Greg]

Melanie wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"
and
I haven't rea..."

One semi-classic sci-fi book that could work for the ship in the bottle challenge is The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson. I found it an enjoyable, quick read. There's also an excellent movie adaptation of it from the 1950's. :)

[Lel]

I found a crime thriller called 'the monster underneath' by Matthew Franks that sounds interesting.

[Milou]

Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"

For the shrunken part I'm going to read Micro by Michael Crichton. And The Green Brain by Frank Herbert for the brainy one.

[Greg]

Milou wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"

For the shrunken part I'm going to read Micro by Michael Cric..."

That looks like a good one for the brain challenge Milou - I think I'll use that one too! Thanks! :)

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Milou wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Wow Brainiac is tricky! Any suggestions for the brain challenge/snowglobe or ship in a bottle challenge?"

For the shrunken part I'm going to read Micro by Michael Cric..."

Doh, I have loads of Crichton books but not that one!

[Lel]

I've been told they get shrunk in timeline, another Crichton book. X

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Still super stuck on the brain challenge for Brainiac!

[Kate]

Rinn wrote: "Still super stuck on the brain challenge for Brainiac!"

I used The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains and it was fantastic! It's a Pulitzer nominee from 2011 about the intersection throughout time of communication technologies and neurobiology. It's fascinating and not at all preachy/anti-tech as the title might suggest.

[Christina]

Rinn wrote: "Thanks for the suggestions, Melanie! I've actually read Matched and sadly found it very bland, so I don't think I'll read the next (which has the same style cover I think?). Passenger has had some ..."

I read Passenger when it came out at the beginning of the year. I was surprised at how much I liked it. Nothing super special, but an enjoyable enough read. I'll probably pick up the next one when it comes out.

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Kate wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Still super stuck on the brain challenge for Brainiac!"

I used The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains and it was fantastic! It's a Pulitzer nominee from..."

Thanks Kate, I'll have to look into that one! Might pop to the library on Saturday and see what they have in psychology/science.

EDIT: There's one copy of that book in the county, and it's in my local library according to the catalogue! :D

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Rinn wrote: "Still super stuck on the brain challenge for Brainiac!"

The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health might be relevant.

[Kate]

Rinn wrote: "There's one copy of that book in the county, and it's in my local library according to the catalogue! :D"

Do it! It will really make you think. It was recommended to me by my philosophy of communications professor a few years ago and was sitting on my to-read shelf until this challenge came along :)

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Audrey wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Still super stuck on the brain challenge for Brainiac!"

The Migraine Brain: Your Breakthrough Guide to Fewer Headaches, Better Health might be relevant."

Oooh thanks for this Audrey. Still trying to find some answers about my migraines!

[Melanie]

Just throwing out a recommendation for next month's villain challenge #3
Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Lethal Legion/ Read a book with "lethal" or "legion" in the title or where a pov character is part of an army/military unit. Being in the army should be an active part of the story, so not a character where it was just mentioned that they are/were in the army, but it doesn't play a role in the story

[Shawnie]

Melanie wrote: "Just throwing out a recommendation for next month's villain challenge #3
Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Lethal Legion/ Read a book with "lethal" or "legion" in the tit..."
It looks really good, but it's only 88 pages. We need 100+ for it to qualify. :)

[Melanie]

Shawnie wrote: "t looks really good, but it's only 88 pages. We need 100+ for it to qualify. :)

This is where reading books electronically hurts. I don't always pay attention to traditional page numbers...

The second book in the series is 208 pages (I looked it up just now). You can read them out of order. The second book does refer to the first (not in a way that distracts from comprehension). I know there's some people who can't stand to read out of sequence. They are both really good books.
Skin Deep

[Milou]

There is also a bindup: Legion and The Emperor's Soul, which is over 100 pages :p

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Milou wrote: "There is also a bindup: Legion and The Emperor's Soul, which is over 100 pages :p"

This doesn't count since it's two stories together in one book, you need one story that is over 100 pages

[Milou]

Oke, thank you :)

[Shawnie]

They look good! It wouldn't be a hardship at 88 pages to read book 1 first . :)

[Shawnie]

I see that a few of you have read Emperor Mage, the 3rd in Tamora Pierce's Immortals series. Is it a big deal to read these out of order? There is a monkey on the cover, and I'm interested in this series. :)

[Kate]

I wouldn't read them out of order. Each builds on the next too much to skip one and not lose a lot.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Maria Snyder's Glass series (Storm Glass) is about blood magic, and Animal Future has ape characters. I'm thinking about re-reading those.

[Wayland, Ernest Scribbler]

Thieftaker has some blood magic in it, and I thought it was a damn good read. Magic in Colonial, pre-Revolutionary Boston.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Wayland wrote: "Thieftaker has some blood magic in it, and I thought it was a damn good read. Magic in Colonial, pre-Revolutionary Boston."

I've read that -- pretty good.

[Veronica]

Wayland wrote: "Thieftaker has some blood magic in it, and I thought it was a damn good read. Magic in Colonial, pre-Revolutionary Boston."


That's right! I read that one a couple of years ago and I think I have the second book...somewhere.

[Christina]

For the monkey part of the challenge I would recommend reading Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen. It is a highly entertaining book. I especially recommend the audio because the guy narrating it has a fantastic voice with a heavy NY accent.

[Shawnie]

Thanks, all! I'm looking for the monkey/ape one. I may change my blood magic choice after the Thieftaker rec's though. :)

[Greg]

Maybe I'll read Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle, the original 1960's French sci-fi novel that inspired the string of movies. That might be fun!

[Shawnie]

Greg wrote: "Maybe I'll read Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle, the original 1960's French sci-fi novel that inspired the string of movies. That might be fun!"

I was thinking of that one as well, Greg. Any other takers for a possible buddy read? :)

And I listened to Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen for another villain. It was funny!

[Milou]

I immediatly thought of the Librarian (Pratchett), but planet of the apes sounds good too...

[Greg]

A buddy read would be fun Shawnie!

[Christina]

Here is another possible monkey sugesstion: Monkey Mind by Daniel B. Smith

[Greg]

Milou wrote: "I immediatly thought of the Librarian (Pratchett), but planet of the apes sounds good too..."

Oh that's true Milou, I hadn't thought of that - I remember the Librarian from Guards! Guards!.

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

I was looking at Tarzan of the Apes (Burroughs was my grandfather's commanding officer in WWII), but Bad Monkey looks fun. Which Pratchett book is that, exactly?

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Audrey wrote: "I was looking at Tarzan of the Apes (Burroughs was my grandfather's commanding officer in WWII), but Bad Monkey looks fun. Which Pratchett book is that, exactly?"

That's so cool! And Tarzan is a hilarious book, very much of its time.

[Melanie]

According to the Internet (http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Libr...) the Librarian/ape can be found in these Pratchett books:
The Light Fantastic
Equal Rites
Sourcery
Guards! Guards!
Eric
Reaper Man
Men at Arms
Soul Music
Interesting Times
Maskerade
The Last Continent
The Last Hero
Unseen Academicals

[Veronica]

Thanks, Melanie! I just read Mort not long ago so I'll go with Reaper Man (second in the Death series).

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

These are my suggestions for Man-Ape :)

1. The Return of Tarzan, A Little Princess, The Bone Labyrinth
2. Nevernight, The Hero of Ages, Station Eleven
3. The Forever War, The Mirror Empire

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Veronica wrote: "Thanks, Melanie! I just read Mort not long ago so I'll go with Reaper Man (second in the Death series)."

Mort is my fave <3

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Rinn wrote: "These are my suggestions for Man-Ape :)

1. The Return of Tarzan, A Little Princess, The Bone Labyrinth
2. Nevernight, [book:The Hero of Ag..."

I totally forgot about the monkey in A Little Princess.

[Milou]

Ive so far read Pratchett for 4 villains and 12 (planned) for the heroes :p

[Audrey, Queen of the Potato People]

Rinn wrote: "These are my suggestions for Man-Ape :)

1. The Return of Tarzan, A Little Princess, The Bone Labyrinth
2. Nevernight, The Hero of Ag..." </i>

Do you think [book:Steelheart would count for being in an army?

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Milou wrote: "Ive so far read Pratchett for 4 villains and 12 (planned) for the heroes :p"

That's a lot of Pratchett, i've never made it more than 15 pages into one of his books

[Veronica]

Rinn wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Thanks, Melanie! I just read Mort not long ago so I'll go with Reaper Man (second in the Death series)."

Mort is my fave <3"

It was my first Pratchett. I had several LOL moments while listening to the audiobook. :-)